“I feel like I made the right choice, I just did it in the wrong way,” said Brantley, the nation’s No. 2 DT on ESPN. “I rushed my commitment and I didn’t really take my time.”

Brantley is UF's highest ranked commit in the ESPN150 (No. 18)

At the beginning of his recruitment, Brantley initially wanted to see several schools and decide later in the process. But the Junior Day visit to Gainesville with his family changed his plans.

“Everything just kind of fell into place on that trip,” he said. “I had a lot of family members with me and we’re all Gator fans. So obviously we loved the coaches and the school, and once everybody was on the same page I just went ahead and committed. But when I look back on it now, I feel like I shouldn’t have done that. And even if I didn’t, I’d probably be committed (to UF) by now anyway to be honest with you. But I still should have waited.”

Florida remains the leader for Brantley and is recruiting him harder than any other school, but he has doubts about the depth chart that he wants to address with UF defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and defensive line coach Bryant Young.

“The depth chart is my main concern,” Brantley said. “I just need to see what the roster looks like in the fall and get some questions answered by coach Quinn and coach Young. I want to make sure I can get early playing time because I don’t want to sit on the bench my freshman year.”

Looking at the numbers, Brantley shouldn’t have that issue. Florida has seven scholarship defensive tackles for 2012, assuming that either Dominique Easley or Sharrif Floyd will play end. One or both of them could leave early for the NFL after next season, and seniors Nick Alajajian and Omar Hunter will be graduating.

So if the Gators don’t add another defensive tackle in the 2013 class, which they may not have room for, Brantley’s position will have five players at the most when arrives on campus and two of them (Damion Jacobs, Easley/Floyd) would be seniors.

Brantley has spoken about everything with UF coach Will Muschamp, who is confident he will keep the 6-foot-3, 302-pounder.

“He knows where I’m going with this and he’s on board with my decision,” Brantley said of Muschamp’s reaction. “He just told me to make sure I inform him on everything. But he knows I’m a Florida man, so he isn’t really worried.”

The Crescent City prospect is looking forward to traveling outside of the Sunshine State and taking all five of his official visits. However, he doesn’t expect to be flipped on those trips.

“I’ve never been out of the state, so I want to see what else is out there and what other schools can offer me,” said Brantley, who is considering Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Miami and USC. “But I don’t feel like it’s going to change how I feel about Florida. For me to decommit, it’s going to take a lot. On a scale of 1-10, it would be a 9.5.”

About This Blog

If Zach Abolverdi had a dollar for every time his last name was mispronounced … you just made him richer. Born in Orlando but raised in Gainesville since 1990, he grew up around Florida football during the Steve Spurrier era. He once threw a perfect spiral under Spurrier’s watchful eye at his summer camp. The Head Ball Coach told him, “That’s a nice throw for a little man, but hold that ball by your ear.” The 8-year-old gunslinger replied, “I already know how to throw a football.” He didn’t appreciate the little man comment either. Zach is a Hearst Award winner and graduate of the University of Florida. He enjoys spending time with family, Denzel Washington movies and only about a dozen music artists, most of whom go by their real name. College football, the NFL, March Madness and LeBron James provide his sports fix.